Above are ice charts from AARI, St. Petersberg for the annual maximums in Mid-March, 2008 to 2019 inclusive. The brown color signifies Old Ice that survived at least one summer’s melt season. The Arctic heart is beating clear and strong. Note differences between diminished years like 2012 and 2013 compared to more robust recent years.
For context, note that the average maximum has been 15M, so on average the extent shrinks to 30% of the March high before growing back the following winter.
via Science Matters
March 19, 2019 at 08:26AM
Iowa Climate Science Education 